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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Scientific Evidence Brief: Flavored Tobacco Products, Including Menthol

About this resource:

Non-Systematic Review

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Last Reviewed: February 2021

Workgroups: Tobacco Use Workgroup

This CDC brief summarizes the scientific evidence on flavored tobacco products, including menthol. Flavored tobacco products mask the harshness of tobacco, and tobacco companies actively promote them. Scientific evidence shows that flavored tobacco products:

  • Increase the risk of youth trying tobacco products for the first time
  • Prevent youth from quitting tobacco products
  • Contribute to health disparities

Future public health policy, planning, and practice should address the health problems posed by flavored tobacco products.

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Objectives related to this resource (10)

Reduce current tobacco use in adolescents — TU‑04
LHI label
Getting worse
Reduce current e-cigarette use in adolescents — TU‑05
Little or no detectable change
Reduce current cigarette smoking in adolescents — TU‑06
Target met or exceeded
Reduce current cigar smoking in adolescents — TU‑07
Improving
Reduce current use of flavored tobacco products in adolescents who use tobacco — TU‑09
Baseline only
Eliminate cigarette smoking initiation in adolescents and young adults — TU‑10
Improving
Reduce the proportion of adolescents exposed to tobacco marketing — TU‑22
Little or no detectable change
Reduce current use of smokeless tobacco products among adolescents — TU‑08
Target met or exceeded
Reduce current cigarette, cigar, and pipe smoking in adults — TU‑03
Improving
Eliminate policies in states, territories, and DC that preempt local tobacco control policies — TU‑20
Little or no detectable change

Suggested Citation

1.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Summary of Scientific Evidence: Flavored Tobacco Products, Including Menthol. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/evidence/pdfs/Scientific-Evidence-Brief-Flavored-Tobacco-Products-Including-Menthol-508.pdf